Improvement in shipping-cans for oysters



w J. J. PHILLIPS.

Shipping-Gain for Oysters.

12 j 6/ an 1Q hi g m mi f a 'I If" I I ml WITNESSES INV'FNTOH:

'ATTORNEY azux UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIoE.

JAMES J. PHILLIPS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHIPPING-CANS FOR OYSTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 199,569, dated January 22,1878; application filed December 15, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMEs JASPER PHIL- LIPS, of Norfolk city, in the coiuity of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Perforated Shipping-Cans for Oysters, Milk, and other Perishable Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Figure l of drawings is a central vertical section. Fig. 2; is a plan view of one of the cans.

This invention has relation to improvements in cans for shipping oysters, milk, fruit, and other perishable articles.

The nature of the invention consists in a sectional perforated can, the parts of which are of the same diameter, and adapted to be set in a case, keg, barrel, or tierce, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Inthe annexed drawings, the letter A designates a barrel or cask, in connection with which I propose to illustrate my invention. B represents my sectional can, made up of any number of separate and distinct vessels, 0 D E. Thesecans are, preferably, made of tin, are of somewhat less diameter than the barrel, and conform in their general form to the shape of the barrel or package in which they are to be placed. They are each cen-' 'trally perforated, as shown at c d e, and when the parts of the can are superposed the one upon the other these apertures form a receptacle for ice, and are in line with each other.

The lower vessel, O, has a cylindrical neck, f, near one edge, that is closed by a stopple, y, when the said vessel is full, and is received in a corresponding recess, h, upon the under side of the vessel D. This vessel has a similar neck, 1, closed by a stopple, i, and received in a recess, 9', in a vessel next above. The

' vessels are piled one upon the other until the cask is nearly or quite full. As shown in Fig. 1, the toppvessel, E, has a neck, n, closed by a stopple, 0, upon its bottom, and received in a recess, 10, in the top of the vessel next below.

It will be observed that the stopples which close the necks are prevented from escaping therefrom by the recesses in which the said necks are received, and that, consequently, the cask may be stowed with either head upward without danger of leakage.

In practice, the apertures c d e are made in the form of a square, and are designed to retral space of the can.

When the cask is full to the top, I pour in a quantity of sawdust around the sides of the can, in the space between it and the cask, which not only prevents the sections of the can from jostling about, but also protects them from the influences of outside temperatures, the sawdust being a non-conductor of heat.

The advantage of this can is, that different grades of oysters may be packed in the parts of the can and not become mixed.

Another advantage is, that soft fruits, as berries, being in comparatively small quantities in each section of the can, do not become mashed at the lower portion by the superincumbent weight of the berries above.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is y 1. The combination, in a packing-case, of an outer or inclosing vessel and a series of independent annular vessels, the latter being provided with central passages, which fall in line with each other when the vessels; are in place, the vessels at the extremities being provided with'stoppers for closing the central passages, whereby'an inclosed icechamher is formed extending throughout the series, substantially as specified.

2. A packing-can having a stopper-neck on one side, and on the other a recess to receive the stopper-neck of the next vessel, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES JASPER PHILLIPS. Witnesses:

J OHN F. DEZENDORF,

SAML. R. BORUM. 

